Despite Humboldt County supervisors' request for a speedy assessment, the planning commission voted to extend its review of a proposed outdoor medical marijuana grow ordinance at its Thursday meeting.

The last-minute 4-1 vote -- with Commissioner David Edmonds dissenting -- was made after a lengthy public comment period and discussion between the commissioners and county planners. Commissioners Bob Morris and Susan Masten were not in attendance.

"I'm concerned we're putting out an unideal product with this," Commissioner Lee Ulansey said. "As far as the expectation of the board of discussing this in one meeting when we're talking about a subject that will affect every person in the county ... I'm not sure that's realistic."

The proposed ordinance -- which would amend the Coastal and Inland Zoning Regulations sections of the county code -- limits qualified growers in unincorporated areas of the county to five mature plants with a canopy size not exceeding 50 square feet on their property as long as the land parcel is between a half-acre to 5 acres in size. The plants would be required to be set back at least 20 feet from neighboring structures and 600 feet from public areas such as schools and parks. The county code enforcement unit would enforce the ordinance through a complaint-driven "good neighbor" policy.

Growers with land under a half-acre size would be able to -- and currently are allowed to under a similar ordinance passed in December 2011 -- cultivate marijuana plants indoor with the same restrictions on plant number and canopy size.

Several members of the public, mainly from Southern Humboldt, attended the meeting to speak in opposition of the current form of the ordinance. A major concern voiced: Patients with property less than a half-acre in size would be forced indoors.

Robert Sutherland of the Humboldt Mendocino Marijuana Advocacy Project was one of many who said that the ordinance would create environmental impacts of its own.

"You're proposing to force many outdoor gardeners inside and forcing them to grow indoors, which greatly increases the consumption of fossil fuels," he said.

Redway resident Bonnie Blackberry said that the ordinance was too broad.

"I think you're trying to have one thing that fits everything," she said. "I think that one thing doesn't fit for everything. The actual neighborhoods should have a say in what's going on."

Willow Creek resident E.G. Duggan said he was not against medical marijuana, but said his home has been impacted by large scale grows in residential zones.

"It's not necessary to grow 100 or 150 plants in a 2-acre zone," Duggan said. "That is a total abuse of being a good neighbor."

County staff were directed to draft the ordinance in October after the medical marijuana subcommittee -- which includes 5th District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg and 3rd District Supervisor Mark Lovelace -- received complaints of odors related to outdoor grows across the county.

The commission had been reviewing the ordinance since March, but had only taken public testimony during its last two meetings.

At the commission's April meeting, it drafted a letter to the Board of Supervisors requesting that the board allocate funds to hold two special meetings in southern and northeastern areas of the county for further discussion. The board rejected this request, with Sundberg stating that the ordinance was already late and that growers were already prepping for the season.

Commissioner Kevin McKenny recommended that the ordinance allow outdoor hoop greenhouses on parcels under a half-acre as a compromise.

"That by itself takes care of a lot of the issues people brought up," McKenny said. "If the board takes it back and they don't like it, they can change it."

Ulansey said he felt this did not address the entire scope of the problem, and motioned that the commission continue its review by going through the language of the ordinance and making changes where necessary.

After the commission's review is complete, the Board of Supervisors will look over the proposed changes and will vote whether to pass the ordinance.